iCloud is an online-based service operated by Apple that’s designed to offer a wide range of features and functions to iOS mobile device and Mac users. (Some iCloud functionality is also offered to Windows PC users.)

As an iPad user, iCloud can be used for a wide range of tasks, the majority of which are offered to you free of charge. To begin taking advantage of what iCloud offers, you need to set up a free iCloud account, which takes just minutes, and it can be done using your existing Apple ID username and password.

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Using iCloud in conjunction with your iPad (and other Macs and/or iOS mobile devices) is optional but recommended. However, if you’re already taking advantage of a cloud-based service through your work, for example, and it’s accessible from your iPad, you probably want to stick with that option and only use iCloud for specific tasks that don’t overlap with the other cloud-based services you’re using.

Just as the iOS operating system continues to evolve, so does iCloud. With the release of iOS 7, your iPad and the iCloud service can now be set up to:

If additional iCloud online storage space is required, it can be purchased and become instantly available from your iPad. To do this, launch Settings, tap on the iCloud option, and then tap on the Storage & Backup option. From the Storage & Backup submenu, tap on the Buy More Storage option. An additional 10GB of online storage (giving you 25GB total) is priced at $20.00 per year. For 20GB of additional online storage, the fee is $40.00 per year, or for 50GB of online storage, the auto-recurring fee is $100.00 per year.

For any iCloud-related function to work on your iPad, an Internet connection is required. While most of the available functions will work using either a cellular or Wi-Fi Internet connection, the iCloud Backup, My Photo Stream, and Shared Photo Stream features work only with a Wi-Fi connection. Plus, accessing certain types of past content purchases from your iCloud account that have large file sizes associated with them, such as TV shows and movies, also requires a Wi-Fi Internet connection.

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If you’re a Windows PC user, app-specific data can be set up to sync data with compatible Windows software on your PC. To do this, however, it’s necessary to download the free iCloud Control Panel software for windows. For example, Contacts, Calendar, Reminders, and Notes data can be set up to sync with Microsoft Outlook on a PC, and some Safari-related information on your iPad can sync with Internet Explorer on your PC. To download the Windows version of the iCloud Control Panel from your PC, visit http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1455.

Set Up An iCloud Account

During the initial iPad activation and setup process, you’ll be prompted to either enter your existing iCloud information or create a new iCloud account using your Apple ID and password (or another email address and a password you create). At anytime, however, you can set up a free Apple ID/iCloud account from your tablet when it’s connected to the Internet.

To do this, launch Settings and tap on the iCloud option. Then, from the iCloud submenu, tap on the Get a Free Apple ID option (shown in Figure 12.1). However, if you already have an iCloud account set up for your Mac or iPhone, for example, enter your existing account information within the Apple ID and Password fields found near the top of the iCloud submenu within Settings, and then tap on the Sign In option.

FIGURE 12.1You can create a new iCloud account (with a new Apple ID) directly from your iPad. However, you only need one account which can be used with all of your Macs, iOS mobile devices, and Apple TV.

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If you already have an iCloud account set up to sync Contacts, Calendar, Reminders, Notes, Mail, Safari, Pages, Numbers, and/or Keynote app-specific data from your iPhone and/or Mac(s), as well as your My Photo Stream and Shared Photo Stream content, as soon as you enter your Apple ID and password within the iCloud submenu within Settings on your iPad, all of your applicable app-specific data automatically loads into your tablet and becomes accessible from the various apps on it.

As soon as you create a new iCloud account or sign in using your existing Apple ID and password (or preexisting iCloud account information), the iCloud submenu within Settings displays the iCloud submenu (shown in Figure 12.2). From here, you can turn on or off individual iCloud features, and in some cases, customize specific options related to iCloud features.

FIGURE 12.2From the iCloud submenu within Settings, it’s possible to turn on or off specific iCloud features that relate to your iPad.